Community gathers to protest Dakota Access Pipeline

YUMA, Ariz. – Local community members are taking part in a historical movement as they protest a massive oil pipeline in the Midwest.

The protests happening around the nation, are trying to stop a $3.8 billion oil pipeline, called the Dakota Access Pipeline, from being built. The pipeline would stretch from North Dakota to Illinois.

Through prayers and songs about the earth community members gathered Saturday to peacefully protest a massive oil pipeline scheduled to run across four Midwestern states.

“It’s a historical event because this is the first time in at least over a hundred years that this many tribes and nations have united on one common cause and one common issue, “ said Claudette White, an event organizer with All Tribes In Unity.

More than 200 people met at the Ocean to Ocean Bridge.

“The reason that we had held the march on September 3rd was because there was a nationwide call for action in unity by the Standing Rock Indian tribe,” said White.

The march finished on the Quechan tribe’s stomping grounds. Speakers and community members gathered to sing and pray.

White says the Dakota Access pipeline has the potential to affect communities across the nation.

“This is a project that should not go forward. It is going to destroy the land, destroy the water; in addition to that, it’s destroying sacred sites and burial locations for people of the Standing Sioux tribe,” said White.

“It’s going to affect everybody when the pipeline does break it will affect future generations,” said America Nerva a youth volunteer in opposition of the pipeline.

“In this instance, this project was fast tracked. There was not a proper environmental assessment done, lack of consultations with the tribes and those people that were going to be the ones directly affected,” said White.

According to the company in charge of the pipeline, Dakota Access, the pipeline will be 30 inches in diameter and will be able to transport about half a million barrels of crude oil per day. The pipeline will stretch along more than 1100 hundred miles from northwestern North Dakota to southern Illinois.